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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: root · court · bear · bound · fine · branch · game · file

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. file — a tool
  3. root — the cause
  4. court — of law
  5. file — a line of people
  6. fine — high quality
  7. court — for sport
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bound — obliged
  10. fine — all right
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bound — certain
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. court — of a king
  19. bear — the animal
  20. game — a match
  21. file — a document
  22. root — of a word
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. branch — a division

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com